'Memorial Day'
(Jonathan Bennett, James Cromwell, John Cromwell, Jackson Bond, et al / DVD / NR / 2012 / Image Entertainment)
Overview: The chance discovery of a World War II footlocker connects two generations of soldiers though the stories of the past in this earnest war drama starring James Cromwell.
DVD Verdict: My goodness, this movie, though not a tear jerker, was truly amazing. Add to this the fact that we watched it on Memorial Day, and, well, the intenseness of the whole meaning and such intensified beyond all belief.
So, the story goes that whilst Kyle Vogel (Bennett) is at a hospital recovering from a wound he got in war his nurse tries to find out more about who he really is. After a while, he decides to tell her about a porch chat he had as a 13 year-old boy with his grandfather (Cromwell). Involving flashbacks, the boy finds his grandfather's war locker, opens it in front of him, and asks him to tell stories about some of the things inside.
In truth, this is the kind of movie that could have been either really good or really boring. I mean, come on, a movie about a grandfather telling his grandson about war artifacts could be a snooze fest, but after just ten minutes I was absolutely hooked! Indeed, when the best line from the movie is uttered, "Promise me no matter what I tell you I'll always be your Opa," the story unfolds like a wonderful fairy tale.
James Cromwell as Opa is wonderful, watchable and riveting in his old-man-on-the-porch role, and his real life son, John Cromwell plays a younger version of him in the Battle of the Bulge war to perfection. 'Memorial Day' is a wonderful, absolutely amazing film that really makes you thankful, nay proud to be an American. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Behind the Scenes
Commentary with Cast, Director and Writer
www.image-entertainment.com